Movie Thor

Although Thor is a very good movie in its own right - an exciting, somewhat old-fashioned adventure story with strong performances, zippy humor and high-spirited action - it becomes even more impressive when you consider how much worse it could have been. Any movie has the potential to be bad, but a movie like Thor, which tells such an outrageous story, is perhaps more vulnerable because it’s based in fantasy, and because the nature of fantasy is to be unbelievable, it’s inherently prone to skepticism and low expectations, which are often met. But just where Thor could have been dumb and insulting, it turns out to be fun and surprisingly dramatic.

Unlike most modern-day superheroes from Stan Lee’s Marvel Universe, especially ones adapted for Hollywood blockbusters, Thor is not a mild-mannered human being who suddenly gains extraordinary powers. As the God of Thunder, he was born with them and he’s not shy about making that known. At the beginning of the movie, he’s loud, pompous and arrogant, and it’s apposite, I suppose, that he wields an oversized steel hammer to fend off his enemies, who are comprised of a cold, blue race of monster-looking individuals called the Frost Giants, who freeze anything they touch.

Before I go any further, based on what I’ve just told you, you can understand my praise for director Kenneth Branagh, the movie’s three screenwriters and the cast for taking what could have been a potential Razzie winner and crafting it into a coherent, energetic popcorn movie. M. Night Shyamalan should watch Thor and take notes. His The Last Airbender could have benefited from this movie’s ability to take something that probably seems ridiculous on paper and make it work on film.

In the movie, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) are the sons of Odin (Anthony Hopkins), king of Asgard, a far-off kingdom in another realm of the universe. The Asgardians are presently at peace until the Frost Giants make a surprise attack, conveniently on the same day Thor is being sworn in as king. Just before Odin can complete the ceremony, the Frost Giants attempt to retrieve the Casket of Ancient Winters, which is their source of energy. Naturally, Thor wants to retaliate, but Odin believes a true king should never seek out war; he must only be ready for it. When Thor and his band of warriors go against Odin’s wishes and attack the Frost Giants on their own turf - Asgardians can be transported to different lands via a rainbow bridge called the Bifrost, controlled by the loyal gatekeeper, Heimdall (Idris Elba) - Odin casts him out.

He descends to earth and lands in a remote desert of New Mexico, where he’s discovered by Jane (Natalie Portman), a master physicist, her science partner, Erik (Stellan Skarsgard), and a cautious intern, Darcy (Kat Dennings), who’s wise to bring along a Taser wherever she goes (because you never know when you’ll find an angry, banished God roaming around the desert). They bring Thor to the hospital and Jane believes there’s something special about this guy, that perhaps he could tell her about the other universes she believes exist and can be accessed through wormholes. Plus, she kinda sorta likes him, which, given Hemsworth and Portman’s good looks, is a development that probably goes without saying. But their romance is interrupted by Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), the omnipresent S.H.I.E.L.D. agent whose job is to report strange, otherworldly phenomenon to Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), who’s busy assembling The Avengers. But that’s another story.

Back on Asgard, Loki discovers he’s not who he seems and is sworn in as king when Odin falls into a deep sleep. To prove himself worthy, he plans to destroy the Frost Giants on his own, a decision that, for Loki anyway, comes with its own conflict of interest.

Loki’s story is actually the most intriguing part of the movie. It’s rich and complex and Tom Hiddleston is quite convincing and passionate in the role. Dare I say Loki’s conflict approaches the level of Shakespeare, from which it is probably derived? Okay, that may be going too far, but for a movie like Thor to even suggest such a connection means it’s aiming higher than most superhero movies. And although it’s loaded with action and special effects, which are good but not spectacular, the characters remain at the center of it all. Along with Hiddleston, Hemsworth, Hopkins, Portman and Skarsgard are all given room to act and they take their characters seriously, giving them weight and dimension. Because we were only expecting fluff, this comes as a pleasant surprise.

Like many, I had my doubts about Thor going in, but in hindsight that’s probably because the superhero genre has become so indoctrinated with stories that favor realism over fantasy that a movie about a flying Nordic God with a cape, a beard and a giant hammer seems preposterous and unbelievable by comparison. And yes, Thor is preposterous and unbelievable, but it’s also the most fun and enjoyable superhero movie to come out since “Hellboy II,” and it has its fair share of drama and poignancy that we actually respond to. I admit much of this praise stems from my low expectations, but regardless, Thor rocks and it gives us hope for the plethora of the other outrageous superhero movies yet to come (and you know they’re coming).

Heading north northeastward at a rate of 22 kph, Tropical Storm Songda was last seen at 200 km Northeast of Basco, Batanes at 4 a.m. on May 28, 2011.

The weather disturbance now has a "maximum sustained winds of 165 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 200 kph."

By Sunday morning, "Chedeng" is forecast to be at 680 km Northeast of Basco, Batanes or110 km South of Okinawa, Japan.

Public Storm Warning Signal (PSWS) Number 3 has also been lifted over Batanes Group of Islands which is now the only one listed on areas with PSWS Number 2. PSWS Number 1 was hoisted over Calayan and Babuyan Group of Islands. All PSWS elsewhere are now lowered.

I'm going to do something a little unprecedented here, and review ALL THREE of the Green Lantern Books that came out this week. Unusual perhaps, but it all reads as though it were simply ONE large book, flowing quite seamlessly into one another.

And...it was spectacular. And heroic. And Tragic.

Let us begin with Green Lantern #66, or Part Seven of the War.

While Kyle and John go off to stop Mogo, Hal and Guy have managed to bust into the Battery, so that they can free Parallax and hopefully stop Krona's hold over the rest of the Green Lanterns. That doesn't work out so well, since Krona has placed the remaining Guardians, each of which is possessed by the various colored entities. Hal actually is a tad on the concerned side.

Fortunately for the two of them, the possessed Guardians prefer to attack them one by one, instead of in concert, and the two of them are actually holding their own...for a little while anyway. Hal is starting to become more and more entranced by the yellow light however, and Guy...well Guy is just cranky as hell. Since their yellow and red rings aren't doing a heck of a lot, Guy decides to give the antique Green Power Gauntlet a whirl...and it does pretty darned well...for about a second or two, when they both get hit by ALL the Emotions At Once. This puts them down for the count.

Meanwhile, imprisoned in the Book, Sinestro, out of all of them, has figured out what is going on...and he's not happy. He's particularly not happy when he remembers that Abin is dead, and he's...he's not a Green Lantern anymore. He also stumbles upon Indigo and her crew,and discovers that they aren't at ALL Compassionate. He almost makes it out, but Krona shows up, and says that although he's got Willpower to spare, he doesn't have what the Earth Lanterns have...which is Heart.

Next thing you know, Hal and Guy wake up, and find themselves chained up, and dressed as Guaridans! It is not a look that flatters them. Krona really drops a bombshell however when he declares that the old Guardians are a bunch of losers (which they are actually) and that he's going to wrap Hal and Guy up in the mummy bandages to transform THEM into Guardians, and that they can rule the Universe at his side!

Holy Crap! Krona sure does love him some Earthmen!

Green Lantern Corps #60

While Hal and Guy are getting their surprise makeover, John and Kyle finally manage to teleport over to Mogo's surface...and it's not looking good. Rings are flying off all over the place, Krona's plan is to flood the Universe with Green Lanterns, all of whom would be under HIS control. Kyle tries to stop the rings, but his blue power isn't working. John however, can channel whatever other rings happen to be around, so he swipes some nice green power and tries to shut down the flight of the rings. It's a valiant effort but doesn't work, and the two of them are drawn down into Mogo's interior. They realize that since Mogo is a telepath, he knows that they are there, and that he's going to be messing with their heads, and right on cue, John sees Katma Tui.

She tries to warn him, to look out from behind. John's not falling for THAT old wheeze, and sure enough...he gets zapped from behind. Oops. They're being chased by GL's, all of whom are ramped up on Kyle's ring. In desperation, he tries to heal them, and lo and behold, it works! Some of the Green Lanterns wake up! But way too few to count.

They finally make it to Mogo's core, and brain...and his ring. Kyle figures that he can use his healing Hope power, and sends in a construct of Bzzzd. It is working, until suddenly all this horrible black goo starts to leak out.

Well crappity crap. Remember when Mogo absorbed all the Black Lanterns into his core? That power is still there, and it's corrupting Mogo. They're running out of time, and John is getting desperate, so he decides to channel the Black energy as a weapon. Kyle thinks that this is a SERIOUSLY bad idea...but John feels that they have no other choice.

And he blows up Mogo.

Double Crap.

Green Lantern: Emerald Warrior #10

Back in the Battery, Hal and Guy are still hanging around, while Krona babbles on about how utterly FAB it is all going to be. Then suddenly, he screams, Ganthet screams, heck EVERYBODY screams...except Hal and Guy,who figure that they don't know what just happened, but it's not time to look a gift horse in the mouth, and they manage to bust out of there.

Back on Mogo...well, back where Mogo USED to be, all hell has broken loose, and Mogo chunks are raining down on Oa. Kyle is just beside himself, and tells John that what he just did was the opposite of Compassionate, and if they had just tried a little harder, they could have saved Mogo. John isn't particularly happy either, but defends himself by saying that he didn't have any choice. Kyle tries to put Mogo back together, but John stops him, saying that Hal and Guy need them, and then teleports the two of them back to Oa.

On Oa, Hal and Guy have grabbed Ganthet and the book and are getting the heck of of there, when they find themselves being pelted by Mogo bits. They're a bit confused until it dawns on them what must have happened...and let's just say that Guy isn't too pleased. Neither is Hal, but he's a bit more stoic about it.

Eventually, they all get together, and Ganthet wake up, and they realize that if Ganthet is up and about, then Krona and his cohorts will be too, so that they had better get cracking. Cracking open the battery is a good start, but even the five of them can't make a dent in it. Ganthet finally realizes that they need ALL of the rings powers, and that there are still two left. So Hal gets Orange...and Guy gets Violet. Oh, you just KNEW that Guy was going to end up with pink! Sadly, he doesn't immediately get a thong, just one side of his uniform ends up with a Star Sapphire emplem and he's pink and red now, which disappointed the hell out me!

They pour on the power, and still...nothing, and now all the rest of the Corps has shown up. Ganthet realizes that Guy is the one who controls the two extremes of emotion...Love and Hate, and that he has to tap into his innermost being, and let those feelings out. He starts by saying that he loves Tora and that he hates his Father...but nothing is happening.

And then...

'

Guy realizes that the thing that he loves the most in all of the world...is the Green Lantern Corps itself...and that he hates...HATES being filled with Rage. And next thing you know, Parallax is free, and so are the Green Lanterns. Guy falls, and almost goes splat but Kyle is there to grab him, which is nice. They all want to take the rings off and get back to Green, but Guy is stuck, if he takes off the red ring, he'll die. Kyle points out that all he needs is a Blue Lantern. Guy's a bit skeptical, but Kyle pours it on...and the red ring and the violet ring both dissolve, and Guy is free. The Green rings zip onto their fingers, and it's back to being in the Corps, baby!

Krona simply sneers that it is more convenient for him to turn ALL of the Earth Lanterns into Guardians now, but all of the Green Lanterns are there, and full of piss and vinegar...and there is just ONE MORE EPISODE TO GO!

I'm going to assume that Zardor and Sodam Yat and Bleez will show up eventually.

But man,oh man...this was epic. And fun, and beautifully drawn, and some really great stuff was going on! Too bad about Mogo however. But before I start to mourn, I'll wait and see if it sticks. Kyle came back in only one issue after all.

But there are all sorts of repercussions that are going to be happening in the fallout of all of this...and I can hardly wait!

If you haven't been reading this, you are missing a really fabulous story. All of the three books have been flowing into one another quite seamlessly, and it is going to make a helluva collection if you want to wait and buy it in the trade version. If you have that much patience...and Willpower.

Residents in low lying and mountainous areas under signals #3, #2 and #1 are alerted against possible flashfloods and landslides. Likewise, those living in coastal areas are alerted against big waves or storm surges generated by this tropical cyclone.

Typhoon “Chedeng” is expected to enhance the southwest monsoon and will bring rains over Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao including Metro Manila.

The Marine Engineer Officers Board Exam Results for May 2011 or the May 2011 Marine Engineer Officers Licensure Exam Results have been released by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) after 4 working days after the last day of exam.

The PRC announced that 781 out of 1,388 passed the various grades of the written phase of the MARINE ENGINEER OFFICERS LICENSURE EXAMINATIONS given by the Board for Marine Engineer Officers in Manila this May 2011.

The Commission also announced the following:

Registration for the issuance of Certificate of Registration and Professional Identification Cards for those who are exempted in the practical assessment will start on Monday, May 30, 2011 until June 10, 2011 in the Central Office and on Monday, May 30, 2011 until June 6, 2011 in the Regional Offices.

The oathtaking ceremony of the successful examinees as well as the previous ones who have not taken their Oath of Professional and those who opted to submit ERS Assessment Certificates will be held before the Board on Friday, June 24, 2011 at 1:00 o’clock in the afternoon at the Fiesta Pavilion, Manila Hotel, One Rizal Park, Roxas Boulevard, Manila.

Certificate of Competency and Certificate of Endorsement shall be distributed during the oathtaking ceremony to the Chief Engineers and Second Engineers who successfully passed the board examinations and completed the required STCW 95 compulsory training and sea service. They shall proceed to MEOD and STCW section for registration and validation as soon as possible in order to expedite the processing of the above-mentioned certificates.

Jennylyn Mercado who underwent a controversial break up with Dennis Trillo, recently and AJ Perez who died last month in a car accident are both on the cover of Yes! magazine's June 2011 issue. Check out the cover below.

Matt Evans, the Kapamilya young actor, met an accident in Quezon City early morning on Friday.

Matt Evans | Photo source: semidoppel.com

The former Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition housemate reportedly had his car hit an electric pole after dodging a woman crossing the street. Although unhurt, he was brought to a hospital after experiencing dizziness. The actor is now okay.

According to an account from a witness who was interviewed by ABS-CBN, Matt Evans was with an unidentified female companion when the accident happened. Matt also looked drunk, the witness added.

Matt will be appearing on "Wansapanataym" this Saturday together with Jairus Aquino in an episode titled "Swap."